Care of bearings

What to do if the bearings are showing increasing amounts of friction.

As part of the aging process of equipment with bearings within the lab, you may find an increase in the friction over time.  The following may be helpful in getting the bearings working with less friction.

You can use compressed air to blow out the bearings and put half a drop of sewing machine oil (the less the better) to keep the bearings lubricated.  Take care not to have the compressed air damage any of the other components that are close to the bearings.

The above instructions should not be used for bearings associated with our Materials Testing System.

When storing items with bearings, store the items in a dry environment away from chemical vapors that could corrode the bearings (acid cabinets, etc.)